Women's March On Washington: How To Get Involved If You're In Chicago

Protesters march against President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 12 in Downtown Chicago. View Full Caption

DNAinfo/Kelly Bauer

DOWNTOWN — Chicago women are helping organize a national march that's expected to bring thousands of people to Washington, D.C., the day after Donald Trump is inaugurated.

More than 2,300 people just in Illinois have said they are going to the Women's March on Washington, while more than 4,000 are interested on the event's Facebook page.

Mrinalini Chakraborty, the state representative for Illinois and a Gold Coast resident, said there was a "sense of despair" after Trump was elected Nov. 8. Wanting to do something, Chakraborty volunteered to help with the march and, with a group of women, is now helping thousands of women from throughout the state meet, talk and get to the march.

Amanda Jane Long, the march's communications coordinator for Illinois and an Edgewater resident, said she wants people to feel empowered to take action because of the march. People have been stunned by the size of the march, she said, noting that more than 1,200 marchers just in Illinois have booked tickets to take a bus to D.C.

"Especially in Chicago, most people are saying, 'You go, girl,'" Long said.

She hopes the march can inspire even those who aren't able to participate.

"I hope it sparks in them that question or that piece of empowerment that says, 'I can join this, too.'"

Chakraborty, who said she is passionate about grassroots activism, said she hopes to see more work done even after the march is over.

"I envision coming back from the march, energized and sort of emboldened if it goes the way that we are planning, and engaging in local, grassroots activism efforts," Chakraborty said.

What is the Women's March?

The Women's March — which is open to anyone who wants to participate — is meant to show "solidarity," Long said.

Marchers will travel from throughout the country to Washington, D.C., and converge at the Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 21, the day after Trump is inaugurated.

"The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized and threatened many of us ... ," according to a statement from the national organizers. "In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore.

"... We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us."

A website for the march isn't yet available, but more information is available on Facebook or through Google Groups.

How can I go?

Some participants are flying or driving to D.C., while others have joined together to take buses to the capital.